SA's Saaiman Suffers Unanimous Decision Loss at UFC Vegas 81

• Cameron Saaiman made his main card debut at UFC Vegas 81 against Christian Rodriguez
• Saaiman and Rodriguez left it all in the ring as they traded big shot after big shot in the cage
• Rodriguez was declared the winner by unanimous decision after three action-packed rounds

Cameron Saaiman has suffered his first professional defeat in mixed martial arts.

The South African youngster made his main card debut at UFC Vegas 281 but was beaten by the United States of America's Christian Rodriguez.

You couldn’t have accused either fighter of taking it easy in round one, as they both came out full throttle. Saaiman and Rodriguez landed some big shots as they sought to knock the other out.

The American fighter tried to gain the advantage early after countering the South African star and taking the fight to the floor. He tried to hook in a headlock, but Saaiman got out of it with too much hassle and the fight returned to the feet.

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Rodriguez tried the tactic in the second round again, but once again, MSP fought out of it and this time, he gained ground control. Saaiman took his opponent’s back briefly before the American reversed the position.

The rest of the round saw both men battling for an advantage, with Rodriguez seeming to have more control on the ground. The third and final round was another slugfest as both fighters stood and traded blows in the first four minutes.

It briefly went to the ground, but it wasn’t long before they were trading strikes again. After another minute of non-stop action, the fight went to the judges’ scorecard.

Despite how close the fight was, the judges scored it in favour of Rodriguez, as Saaiman suffered his first loss in MMA.

Saaiman wants UFC in Africa

As Sports Brief also reported, Saaiman would love to see UFC allowing South Africa to host a pay-per-view.

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The South African MMA fighter made the admission during the post-match press conference after UFC 282

Saaiman made his debut at the event held in Las Vegas, defeating Steven Koslow in the third round by TKO.